The Bears did the most roster churning of any team on Wednesday as they made successful waiver claims on six players who were cut by other teams on Tuesday.
With six players joining the club, the Bears had to remove six players who were initially on the 53-man roster. They did so by waiving guard Zachary Thomas, defensive tackle Khyiris Tonga, linebacker Caleb Johnson and cornerback Duke Shelley; terminating the contract of veteran linebacker Joe Thomas; and putting wide receiver Tajae Sharpe on injured reserve.
Tonga was a seventh-round pick last year and had 24 tackles in 15 appearances while Johnson had eight tackles in 14 games. Shelley has played in 30 games over the last three seasons and Thomas has 89 games of regular season experience. Sharpe will be eligible to return to action after missing four games.
The new Bears are cornerback Josh Blackwell, defensive end Kingsley Jonathan, offensive lineman Alex Leatherwood, defensive end Armon Watts, linebacker Sterling Weatherford, and tight end Trevon Wesco.